Does your business need a licence in Hong Kong? How to check
Every business in Hong Kong needs business registration. Some also need a licence, and business registration doesn't tell you whether yours does. Here are the activities that do, the law behind each, the free government tool for checking, and why most licences are tied to real premises rather than a mailing address.
Updated 30 October 2026 · by LAULEGA LIMITED, licensed TCSP (TC000573)
Business registration is not a licence
Every business carried on in Hong Kong has to be registered, and a company gets its Business Registration certificate with its incorporation. But the certificate says nothing about whether you may lawfully do what you do. The Business Registration Ordinance spells it out:
Business Registration Ordinance, section 6(6)
The issue of a business registration certificate “shall not be deemed to imply that the requirements of any law in relation to such business or to the persons carrying on the same or employed therein have been complied with.”
Licences come from separate ordinances, each with its own regulator, and operating without one is usually a criminal offence. Running an unlicensed hotel or guesthouse, for example, carries a fine of HK$200,000 and two years' imprisonment on summary conviction, and not knowing that no licence was in force is no defence (Cap. 349 s.5).
Activities that need a licence
This isn't a complete list; Hong Kong has many more permits and licences for specific trades. These are the ones founders most often run into, each with the section that requires it:
| If your business… | You need | Law |
|---|---|---|
| Runs a restaurant, food factory, factory canteen, siu mei and lo mei shop, fresh provision shop, cold store or composite food shop | A food business licence | Cap. 132X s.31 |
| Sells liquor for drinking on the premises | A liquor licence | Cap. 109B reg. 25A |
| Keeps a place of public entertainment | A place of public entertainment licence | Cap. 172 s.4 |
| Operates a hotel or guesthouse | A licence for the premises | Cap. 349 s.5 |
| Operates an employment agency | A licence (or certificate of exemption) for the place of business | Cap. 57 s.51 |
| Acts as an estate agent | An estate agent's licence | Cap. 511 s.15 |
| Carries on travel agent business | A travel agent licence, plus a business permit for each local place of business | Cap. 634 s.6 |
| Lends money as a business | A money lender's licence for the premises | Cap. 163 s.7 |
| Operates a money service (remittance or money changing) | A money service operator licence | Cap. 615 s.29 |
| Provides company formation, registered office or company secretary services | A trust or company service provider licence | Cap. 615 s.53F |
| Deals in or advises on securities, futures or asset management | A licence for each regulated activity | Cap. 571 s.114 |
| Sells or advises on insurance | An insurance intermediary licence | Cap. 41 s.64G |
| Issues a stored value facility (an e-wallet, a prepaid card) | A stored value facility licence | Cap. 584 s.8B |
| Imports or exports strategic commodities (controlled chemicals, dual-use goods and the like) | An import or export licence | Cap. 60 s.6A |
How to check your own business
The Trade and Industry Department runs the Business Licence Information Service, a free online guide to the licences, permits and certificates needed for different businesses. Search by keyword or browse by business group, and it lists what applies and which department to ask. Check it before you sign a lease or take your first order, not after.
Many businesses, such as consulting, software, design and most online retail of general goods, fall outside the regimes above. Confirm it for your own activity in the Business Licence Information Service, and check whether the goods you sell carry their own rules.
Most licences are tied to premises
Notice how many of the licences above attach to a place, not just to a person:
- a hotel or guesthouse needs a licence in force for the premises (Cap. 349 s.5);
- liquor is sold "at any premises" only on the authority of a liquor licence (reg. 25A);
- an employment agency may operate only at the place of business named in its licence (Cap. 57 s.51(2));
- a money lender may lend only from the premises in its licence (Cap. 163 s.7(1)(b));
- a travel agent needs a business permit for each local place of business (Cap. 634 s.6(3)(a)).
That's why a virtual office can't stand in for licensed premises. A registered address is enough for the Companies Registry and for business registration, as our guide to your company's addresses explains. A guesthouse, a bar, an agency or a lender needs the real place, with the licence on it.
An example (invented)
Copperleaf Tea Limited starts as an online shop selling packaged tea, run from abroad with a Hong Kong virtual office as its registered office. The founder checks the Business Licence Information Service for the products sold before launch.
A year later the company plans a tasting café in Sai Ying Pun. That's a different business: it will need a food business licence for the café premises, and a liquor licence if it serves wine with the tea. The founder starts both applications before signing the fit-out contract.
Start with the company, then the licence
LAULEGA incorporates your Hong Kong company, keeps its registered office and filings in order, and handles the Business Registration renewal, so you can put your time into the licence your business actually needs.
Business support See the virtual officeFrequently asked questions
Is business registration the same as a business licence in Hong Kong?
No. Section 6(6) of the Business Registration Ordinance says a business registration certificate doesn't imply that any other legal requirement has been met. Licences come from separate ordinances for specific activities.
How do I find out whether my business needs a licence?
Use the Trade and Industry Department's Business Licence Information Service. It's free and online: search by keyword or business group to see the licences, permits and certificates that apply, and which department issues them.
Do I need a licence to open a restaurant in Hong Kong?
Yes. A restaurant is one of the food businesses that need a licence under section 31 of the Food Business Regulation (Cap. 132X). Selling liquor for drinking on the premises needs a separate liquor licence (Cap. 109B reg. 25A).
Do I need a licence to sell online from Hong Kong?
Many online businesses selling general goods need only business registration, but it depends on what you sell. Food, medicines and controlled goods, for example, have their own rules. Check your products in the Business Licence Information Service.
Can a licensed business use a virtual office address?
As its registered office, yes. But many licences attach to premises: hotels and guesthouses, liquor sales, employment agencies, money lenders and travel agents' local places of business. Those premises have to be real, and named in or covered by the licence.
Do company formation and registered office providers need a licence?
Yes. Providing company formation, registered office, business address or company secretary services by way of business in Hong Kong is a trust or company service, and doing it without a licence is an offence (Cap. 615 s.53F). LAULEGA LIMITED holds TCSP licence TC000573.
This guide summarises the licence requirements in the ordinances listed, as published on e-Legislation on 29 October 2026 (checked the day before publication). It isn't a complete list of Hong Kong licences, permits or product rules, and it doesn't cover how to apply. It is general information, not legal advice. For your own business, check the Business Licence Information Service and ask the licensing department or your adviser. The example company is invented. Written by LAULEGA LIMITED, a licensed trust or company service provider (TCSP licence TC000573).